Is it safe to use a copied git repo?

Question

If I make a copy of a tracked folder using rsync -a or cp -R, can I then use the copy as if it were a git clone, or will that cause all sorts of weird

Answer 1

It's exactly the same, well, almost, if you want the same in 'project3' just do:

git remote add origin /home/itsadok/project
git branch -f master origin/master